Environmental and aesthetic impacts of small docks and piers, workshop report: Developing a science-based decision support tool for small dock management, phase 1: Status of the science

Few issues confronting coastal resource managers are as divisive or difficult to manage as regulating the construction of private recreational docks and piers associated with residential development. State resource managers face a growing population intent on living on or near the coast, coupled with an increasing desire to have immediate access to the water by private docks or piers. (PDF contains 69 pages

Control of docks (Rumex spp.) in organic fodder production - a true bottleneck in organic farmed branded dairy and meat products

Control of dock species are a true bottleneck in the development of grassland based organic production in Norway. Rumex obtusifolius, Rumex crispus and Rumex longifolius are among the most important perennial weeds in grassland areas throughout the world. These docks are undesirable in grasslands because they decrease yields and reduce forage feeding value. Numerous farmers feel powerlessness regarding how to manage the Rumex problem. Some farmers continue conventionally farming instead of organic, although they generally are motivated for transferring to organic production, due to the dock problem. The main goal of the project is a high quality and stable production of regional branded dairy and meat products based on fodder from grassland with non-chemical control of docks. This is to be achieved through knowledge on important factors that influence severity of dock infestation, studies on weak growth stages of docks, evaluation of biological control of docks and a synthesis of various measures to control these weeds. The return of the efforts of the project is increased organic production of meat and dairy products

Cultural methods for controlling docks in organically farmed grassland (extension 1998-99) (OFT0115T)

Docks are considered to be one of the main weed problems of grassland. The absence of an effective non-chemical control may be a deterrent to organic-conversion for farmers accustomed to using herbicides for dock control. This work addresses this problem in the context of MAFF policy to encourage more farmers to adopt organic farming, and to encourage a reduction in the use of herbicides in farming generally. The project was based around hypotheses that physical techniques and management strategies can affect the relative competitiveness of docks within the grass-based sward, and that by exploiting this relative competitiveness the problem can be reduced or contained within acceptable limits. During the initial phase of the project (01/05/95 to 31/03/98) we investigated these hypotheses through a series of four linked experimental objectives. The results obtained during that period (i.e. the 1996 and 1997 seasons) were reported to MAFF in a CSG13 in 1998. In the case of two of these experiments in particular, it was apparent that the observation and recording periods were too short to draw meaningful conclusions, and that the value of the overall project would be improved by an additional recording period. This CSG13 updates the previous one and reports primarily on the results from these two experiments obtained during 1998-99 (the 1998 growing season). The outcomes of these two approaches (Objectives 2 and 3 on the original CSG7) are summarized below. Objective 2: Trials were carried out to determine the effects of using a mechanical soil aerator in spring, and its timing, on the subsequent development of docks in existing dock-infested areas of silage fields (action through stimulation of grass growth in spring through improved soil physical conditions, and/or potentially deleterious effect on docks by severing their rooting systems). The findings of this experiment during 1996 and 1997 were encouraging but showed the need for evaluations over a longer period than two years. The experiment was conducted in a situation where docks were increasing and dock ramet density increased on all treatments. The greatest increase occurred on the non-aerated control. The most significant effect resulted from the aeration treatment made in April (compared with June or April-plus-June). In the third year, 1998, there were no significant differences between the control and the three aeration treatments. Our overall conclusion from the three years of results with this technique on just one site is that it is a technique which offers some control of dock, but refining of the management guidelines and evaluation on a field scale on different soils are required. Objective 3: Micro-plot trials using transplanted, spaced dock plants (to provide uniform density in swards) were used to investigate the effects of a wide range of options for controlling dock plants by cutting. Treatments included cutting at different intervals and to different residual sward heights. Assessments of results from 1996 had shown that the proportion of dock in the total herbage DM was lowest in treatments which were defoliated at regular 4-5 week intervals, and highest under less frequently defoliated regimes which simulated silage and hay regimes. These assessments were repeated in 1997 and the differences widened. However, total herbage DM yield was also higher on the ‘hay’ and ‘silage’ treatments, though differences were proportionately less than for the dock component. The micro-plot trial recorded in 1998 had been established from dock plug plants transplanted in 1996 and recorded in 1997. This method proved to be an effective one for establishment of experimental dock infestations of uniform density needed for investigations of this type, and one that would be practicable if required on a larger scale. The more frequently cut treatments had the lowest proportion of dock in the total herbage harvested, though this was in Year 2 only. This was a very similar result to that from the similar trial that had been recorded during 1996 and 1997. It seems likely that the effects resulting from cutting frequency may be cumulative, and at least two years of the frequent cutting may be required before dock plant size and vigor is reduced. The duration of these trials has not been long enough to determine whether long-term frequent cutting can eventually result in the elimination of dock plants. The effect of cutting height, which had no significant effects in either year of the experiment recorded in 1996 and 1997, was a significant factor affecting docks in the second year of this experiment. The low cutting height was favourable to docks. It seems likely that docks either respond to the lower cutting height by morphological adaptation, or that the lower sward height reduces the relative competitiveness of the other sward components. The results obtained from this suite of experiments (including the objectives completed before 1 April 1998) indicate that physical methods have a role in containing dock problems to an acceptable level, particularly in ensuring that flowering and seed dispersal does not occur. If resources were to be available for future work our recommendations would include the following: (1) The use of the soil mechanical treatment has been encouraging though further on-farm field-scale evaluations and refinement of management guidelines are needed before this can be recommended for general use by farmers. (2) As frequency of defoliation appears to be a factor affecting growth of docks and their total contribution to the sward, there is a need to establish whether docks can be eliminated, rather than being kept at a manageable level of infestation, and the management factors and timescale associated with this need to be determined. (3) The effects of increased seed rate and cover crop on limiting the development of seedling docks at establishment (shown in sward box studies in the 1996-97 phase of this research contract) needs to be evaluated at the field scale and on different soil types

The Effects of Pattern Loadings on Reinforced Concrete Floor Slabs

Reinforced Concrete Reserach CouncilOffice of the Chief of Engineers, U.S. Army.General Services Administration, Public Buildings ServiceHeadquarters, U.S. Air Force, Directorate of Civil Engineering.U.S. Navy, Engineering Division. Bureau of Yards and Docks. NBy 3763

Residential Docks and Piers: Inventory of laws, regulations, and policies for the New England region

While the homes threatened by erosion and the developer illegally filling in marshlands are the projects that make the headlines, for many state regulatory programs, it’s the residential docks and piers that take up the most time. When is a dock too long? What about crossing extended property lines? And at what point does a creek have too many docks? There are no easy answers to these questions. At the request of the Georgia Coastal Management Program, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coastal Services Center published in April 2003 an inventory of residential dock and pier management information for the southeastern U.S. This inventory builds upon that effort and includes five New England states and one municipality: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and the Town of Falmouth, Massachusetts. Federal laws, state laws and regulations, permitting policies, and contact information are presented in a tabular format that is easy to use. (PDF contains 16 pages

Commercial Fishing Port Development in North Florida

The author has identified the following significant results. Seven major counties were examined: Escambia, Bay, Gulf, Franklin, Wakulla, Nassau, and Duval. Population and economic activity were reviewed, along with commercial fishing and port facilities. Recommendations for five northwest Florida counties were based on interpretation of aerial photographs, satellite imagery, an aerial survey site visit, and published data. Major needs in Pensacola included docking, ice supply, and net and engine repair services. Costs for additional docks, an ice plant, and gear storage were estimated at $3,658,600. Port users in Panama City identified additional docking and gear storage as primary needs, along with gear repair and a marine railway. Estimated costs for dock and gear storage were$2,860,000. Added docking, gear storage, and ice supply, as well as gear electronics and diesel repair were needed in Port St. Joe. Costs were calculated at $1,231,500. Franklin County has three ports (Apalachicola -$1,107,000 for docks and gear storage, Eastpoint - $420,000 for additional docks, and Carrabella -$2,824,100 for docks, gear storage, and ice plant)

Residential Docks and Piers: Inventory of laws, regulations, and policies for the Southeastern United States

While the homes threatened by erosion and the developer illegally filling in marshlands are the projects that make the headlines, for many state regulatory programs, it’s the residential docks and piers that take up the most time. When is a dock too long? What about crossing extended property lines? And at what point does a creek have too many docks? There are no easy answers to any of the dock and pier related questions. Each state has to craft the laws and policies that are best for its natural resources and its political and legal environment. At the same time, mistakes in judgment can be costly for the organization, the homeowner, and the natural resources. At the request of the Georgia Coastal Management Program, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coastal Services Center compiled an inventory of dock information for four states—Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Federal laws, state laws and regulations, permitting policies, and contact information are included in a tabular format that is easy to use. (PDF contaions 18 pages

Owning memories: a tale of two cities

In 1894 Queen Victoria opened the Salford Docks, now known as Salford Quays, home of MediaCityUK. At the time, Salford Docks were considered a masterpiece of engineering, allowing Manchester to circumvent the route through Liverpool and have access to international trade. The area was an ambitious hub for commerce, industrial activity and job prospects. Although more than 100 years have passed, Salford Quays is again under the spotlight and has the ambition to be a contemporary contender in the cultural industries market – this time focussing, through MediacityUK, on moving the media industry away from London. In order to attract such a prestigious focus, the developers have responded by building waterside apartments, luxury housing and speedy infrastructure and by promoting a successful professional lifestyle, with cultural and cutting-edge designer events. However, the local community seems to be more than ever alienated from this process, the sense of cultural collective memory being diluted. Throughout this paper, we are considering issues relating both to the historical significance of Salford Quays as well as to its cultural legacy within the local community. In order to do so, we are addressing the following research questions: How can the past be brought to into the present to support a sense of identity cohesion? Can Salford shake off the image of a derelict area and become the innovative creative quarter, through the (living) memories of its community? We will argue that the re- invention of Salford Quays as a new cutting-edge creative quarter happens at the expense of the historical memory of the place. In this way, local people and local memories do not become an integral part of the regeneration strategy, but are almost erased from the whole process

Lagrangian particle tracking for the assessment of the flushing efficiency of harbor structures: the case of the Port of the Bay of Algeciras, Strait of Gibraltar

The Bay of Algeciras, an inlet of about 9 x 11 km located at the eastern margin of the Strait of Gibraltar, opens to the south, where the Atlantic jet leaves the Strait and starts spreading into the Alboran Sea. In its western side, the Bay hosts one of the main ports in Europe, neuralgic base of the major traffic load from Europe to Africa and from Europa to the rest of the oversea countries. The massive transport of liquid and solid bulk or bunkering activity, daily carried out in the Bay, combined with the harsh weather conditions that often lash the zone, give the ideal scenario for an incipient ecological disaster. This high environmental risk motivates the interest for a deeper understanding of the small scale dynamics of the Bay and the role played by the port structures in case of oil spill or other surface contaminations. A series of Lagrangian particles tracking (LPT) experiments were carried out to investigate the flushing patterns of the Bay and 8 different docks inside the local port, under a representative variety of external conditions, such as tide phase and strength, and winds. A 2D LPT algorithm has been adapted to fully exploit the outputs of a very high resolution (∼30m) three-domain-nested hydrodynamic model, with the aim of resolving the complex circulation within the structures of the harbor. Winds are a clearly dominant factor, with westerlies featuring e-folding times one order of magnitude lower than easterlies. Fortnightly tidal modulation presents a counter-intuitive effect, with spring tides that, despite promoting higher ventilation in a first instance, end up providing higher accumulation of particles inside the docks and higher e-folding times than neap tides. Tide phase affects the current direction at the entrance of the docks during the first few hours of simulation and its effect is progressively masked throughout the experiment. In the 45% of the experiments, a significant quantity of particles flow out to the Alboran Sea (55% in the whole Bay experiment), confirming the importance of the Bay on the exportation of pollutant/properties to the nearby basin.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional del Mar, CEIMAR. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tec